Eckhaus Latta Baby Tee

With such an artful approach to men's and women's wear, it's not surprising Assembly's founder began his career in the art world. Greg Armas was at the helm of galleries before opening his store on the Lower East Side in 2008. A namesake line followed in 2012 and a second forward-thinking retail environment in Los Angeles three years later. In addition to their own label, Assembly New York and Los Angeles focus on international and otherwise independent designers who maintain an emphasis on craft and design as an ethos, regardless of trend.

This New York label has evolved in the years since its creation to become known for unadulterated luxury, whimsical surrealism and avant-garde silhouettes. Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta are the creative minds behind the label. The two created the line after working together as classmates at the Rhode Island School of Design where Mike studied sculpture and Zoe studied textiles. They had both gained impressive experience: Mike designed accessories for Marc Jacobs and Zoe worked for the Met and her own textile company called Prince Ruth. But neither had actually designed clothing. So it was a cool story of trial and error that led to Eckhaus Latta’s launch in 2011. They showed their first collection at New York Fashion Week in 2012 and have been surprising and delighting the fashion industry ever since. With cameos of unusual materials like fishing line and plastic, as well as their constant evolution and disregard for the fashion rules, we can’t wait to see what’s next.